Wednesday evening Mike and I attended a Kenmore Heritage Society event. The event was called “Take a Ride on the Interurban” and it was most enjoyable.
Part of the enjoyment was attributable to the fact that my friends Cheryl and Kevin (sister and brother) were the guest speakers!
You see, they wrote a book titled, Images of Rail: Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway, and it was published last May. The book is an historical tale about the construction, use, and eventual closing of the short-lived interurban electric railway system that operated in the first decade of the 1900s in the Seattle-Everett area. It is chock-full of vintage photographs of the electric trolleys with stories about not only the interurban railway, but also about the area itself.
Both Cheryl and Kevin are members of the Alderwood Manor Heritage Association and they have done extensive research of the locale. Plus, they grew up in the area and live nearby to this day. (You may remember them from my recent post about the Alderwood Heritage pancake breakfast.) Their research included numerous interviews with people that had knowledge about the railway and they gathered and digitized a multitude of era photographs.
The most famous trolley car is Interurban Trolley Car 55. The Alderwood Heritage web site states: Interurban Trolley Car 55 is one of six Interurban rail cars that provided commuter service from Alderwood Manor to Seattle and Everett from 1910 to 1939…After the demise of the Interurban in 1939, Car 55 was retired, serving as a restaurant diner for several years, and later as a ticket office for the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad. The refurbished trolley now enjoys its respite at the Association’s Heritage Park in Lynnwood (what used to be called Alderwood Manor).
The presentation was very interesting and several people in the audience had questions for Cheryl and Kevin about different types of rail. It really got us thinking about how Seattle, and the surrounding communities, developed and the role that rail played in that development.
Before leaving we were able to purchase a book and even get it signed by the authors! Thank you, Cheryl and Kevin – great job – I can’t wait to curl up with your book.
2 comments:
I am a longtime buff of railroading and railroad history. There is something awe inspiring about those iron monsters. Maybe one of these days that book will run across my path. thanks for sharing the info.
Good morning Tancho! There is indeed something about those monsters. And look at that wire contraption in the front - Cheryl and Kevin said it was for scraping up cows and people that got in the way of the train. HA!
p.s. You could always order the book from Amazon...
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